A preliminary study of the intellectual orientations of Malay scientists towards the Islamization of Human Knowledge : theory or philosophy

Abstract

This study examines and analyses the intellectual orientations of 35 Muslim Malay senior scientists with respect to the Islamicization of Human Knowledge (IOHK) paradigm. The main focus of the study is to know their intellectual standpoints with regard to IOHK paradigm in science. A large majority, 21 or 60% of them is not in favour of integrating science with knowledge from an Islamic perspective. They accept the notion of neutrality of science as conceived by Western scientists. A small minority, 5 or 14.2% of these scientists supports inclusion of IOHK paradigm in science as they feel the positivistic paradigm within Western science is harmful to the Muslim mind. The other 9 comprising 25.7% of them are mostly indifferent or have no clear stand with regard to the issues discussed. An examination of opinions of an additional three senior professors selected for their strong involvement in IOHK in science reveal that they support the inclusion of IOHK very strongly. To them it is a vocation of a life time as they are motivated by the need to counter secular underpinnings of secularised Western science. They refute the claim that Western science is neutral. According to them, Western values and ideologies are implicitly enmeshed within Western science. Fuelled by nationalistic and corporate funding, Western science has become manipulative and over exploitative. They emphasize that Western science is a science without wisdom (Hikmah) with the potential to cause serious ecological imbalance to this earth resulting in human suffering on an unimaginable scale.